CSUMB announces intent to sell the building that the National Steinbeck Center occupies

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) announced Thursday that they are planning to sell the CSUMB Salinas City Center building (commonly referred to as the National Steinbeck Center), according to Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance/CFO at Cal State Monterey Bay Alan Fisher.

"The decision to sell the CSUMB Salinas City Center building has been made to generate proceeds that will be reinvested into the development of affordable student housing," said Fisher. "This step is aligned with our mission to provide greater support for students and enhance their experiences at CSUMB.

According to Fisher's statement, over the past two years the school has been working with community leaders and elected officials in Salinas to see if there are any potential buyers within the region.

"Our commitment is to ensure that the new owner respects the needs of the National Steinbeck Center and that any plans for the facility align with the vision for a revitalized downtown Salinas," said Fisher.

Fisher said that the National Steinbeck Center is a tenant in the building with a long-term lease agreement and the tenancy will transfer to the new owner upon sale of the building for the duration of the lease.

"The sale of the building will not impact the National Steinbeck Center's location or its current operations," said Fisher.

Fisher also said that they've already declined one offer from a buyer they deemed unsuitable for the community and downtown revitalization efforts.